Lift truck attachment for handling a plurality of cylindrical loads



Oct. 5, 1965 M. BARNES 3,209,933

LIFT TRUCK ATTACHMENT FOR HANDLING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL LOADS Filed Aug. 31, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Marion L. Barnes 35/ Zdaflm, awiDm u fi'fl'orne d Oct. 5, 1965 M. L. BARNES 3,

LIFT TRUCK ATTACHMENT FOR HANDLING A PLURALITY 0F CYLINDRICAL LOADS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 51, 1962 Inventor fllcmcn L Ba vnes 55, Hfaflm, and :Dm/

fittornel/s Oct. 5, 1965 M. L. BARNES 3,209,933

LIFT TRUCK ATTACHMENT FOR HANDLING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL LOADS Filed Aug. 51, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor Marion. L-fiarnes 35 MdJDM/ fHrlforne g United States Patent 3,209,933 LIFT TRUCK ATTAQHMENT FSR HANDLING A PLURALHTY 0F QYLTNDRICAL LOADS Marion L. Barnes, 569 Sunny View Drive, Peoria, Ill. Filed Aug. 31, 1962, Ser. No, 220,746 2 Claims. (Cl. 214-650) This invention relates to apparatus for transporting heavy rolls of material such as rolls of carpeting, linoleum, heavy sheet material and like cylindrical bodies.

It is a difficult task to manually transport rolls of linoleum, carpeting and the like, as for instance when moving these from the loading platform of a warehouse to storage areas within the warehouse. In fact, the efforts of several men are usually required in handling heavy, cylindrical bodies of this kind, and it is not an infrequent occurrence for someone to be injured.

The primary object of the present invention is to enable a plurality of contiguous heavy, cylindrical rolls of linoleum, carpeting or the like to be easily transported collectively as a group with substantially no human effort involved, and to accomplish this by means of an attachment for a lift truck including a part that can be maneuvered beneath the cylindrical bodies or rolls arranged in an upright condition while another part embraces the upper ends of the upright rolls to secure the rolls against tipping.

Thus, under and in accordance with the present invention, with the rolled material set on end in an upright fashion, and in a contiguous or side-by-side aligned relationship, a lift plate attached to the lift yoke of a lift truck is moved in under the lower ends of the rolls. This is brought about simultaneously with a bail attachment of the lift truck being active in an embracing or gathering relationship on the upper ends of rolls to prevent the rolled material from tipping over, while at the same time making it possible for the lift plate to be maneuvered beneath the rolls.

Specifically stated, it is an object of the present invention to equip a lift truck or other powered lift device with an attachment including an upright frame, and a stabilizer bail and a lift plate at opposite ends of the frame. Thus, the bail is at the upper end of the frame and is sized and configured to be capable of becoming a strap for embracing or girdling the upper ends of contiguous upright cylindrical bodies. This strap or bail is to be lowered down over the upper ends of the upright rolls to support the same against uncontrolled tipping, and thereafter the lift plate is moved into proximity of the lower ends of the upright rolls. As this occurs, the aforesaid frame with the bail secured thereto is moved to produce a slight forward tipping of the collected upright bodies, sufiicient to enable the lift plate to be toed in under the upright rolls. Resultantly, the plate is in position to lift the rolls. The next movement is, therefore, to tip the frame rearward to bring the rolls at least into an upright position on the lift plate where the same are in a stable condition relative to the lift plate, which can then be elevated sufficiently by the lift yoke of the lift truck to enable the rolls to be moved collectively as a group by the truck or other device whilst the upper ends are embraced as aforesaid.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which,

by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and what is now considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the ice present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a lift truck provided with an attachment in accordance with the present invention, and in position to commence maneuvering with respect to four contiguous upright rolls of carpeting that are to be transported by the truck;

FIGS. 2 to 4 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating the various stages of maneuvering the equipment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the attachment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary detail views illustrating a preferred form of lock; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the attachment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated a lift truck LT of conventional form that has been moved adjacent a set of four upright rolls R of carpeting, and it will be appreciated from the (scaled) proportions in FIG. 1 that these rolls, individually, are quite heavy and cumbersome. Such rolls as shown in FIG. 1 can be visualized as having been maneuvered into contiguous upright position at a warehouse loading platform or the like. However, a great deal of exertion is required on the part of a workman endeavoring to move a roll individually any considerable distance. Under the present invention, however, the four rolls R are easily transported collectively in a stable relationship by a cooperating bail 10 and a lift plate 11 related, as shown in FIG. 5, to a frame 15 that is to be an attachment for the lift truck.

Thus, the bail or strap 10 and the lift plate 11 are attached to a frame 15 which in turn is detachably secured in an upright fashion to the lift yoke 16 of the lift truck LT, FIG. 1, to move therewith and be capable of undergoing the same movements as the lift yoke. The plate 11 is in a plane normal to that of the frame 15.

The lift truck may be of different forms, and represents no part of the present invention. In other words, the truck as LT, FIG. 1, is merely illustrative of a materials handling vehicle of the lift truck type capable of maneuvering in a warehouse or the like.

The lift truck, however it is powered and steered, includes an upright frame 20, FIG. 1, which serves as a fixed guide or mast for the lift yoke 16. A lift cylinder and piston 21 are associated with the mast or guide 20 of the truck LT, and this piston at the upper end thereof carries a cross arm or head 22 in turn supporting a pair of idler pinions 23.

Lift chains 24 are trained over the pinions 23, and these chains at their lower ends are connected to the lift yoke 16. The other ends of the chains are anchored to the guide frame 20, and as the piston 21 is raised or lowered, the chains in turn raise or lower the lift yoke 16. It is also important to note that the lift truck includes means (not shown) for tilting the mast 20 (and with it the lift yoke and attached frame 15) rearward from the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The frame 15 includes a pair of upright channel bars 36 land 31, FIG. 8, braced by cross arms as 32. The lift plate 11 is secured as by welding to the lower ends of the uprights 3&1 and 31. The bail It) is arranged at the upper ends of the uprights 3i? and 31 in a manner to be described in detail hereinafter.

The frame 15 can -be detachably secured to the lift bar of the lift truck in many different ways, and what is to be described hereinafter simply represents a preferred manner of accomplishing this.

Thus, in detachably securing the frame 15 to the lift yoke 16, a pair of rearwardly extending mounting plates 35 are secured to the uprights 30 and 31 at locations somewhat above the lift plate 11. In the portions of the mounting plates that are free of the upright, the mounting plates 35 are provided with apertures 35A adapted to receive a bar 16B extending transversely of the yoke 16. The bar 16B is the part of the lift yoke to which the frame is connected. Thus, the remote ends of the bar MB, as clearly shown in FIG. 1, are supported in openings in end plates as 16A that are a part of the framework included in the lift frame or yoke 16.

In order to detachably secure the frame 15 on the lift yoke, the mounting plates are provided with hook elements as 36 having depending ears 36A adapted to engage a flat vertically oriented plate 37, FIGS. 1 and 2, which is part of the lift yoke.

The latches or hook elements 36 are pivotally related to the mounting plates 35 as by nut and bolt connections. Locks 35L, FIG. 5, in the form of lugs are pivotally supported at the inside faces of the mounting plates in posiion to have the free ends thereof bearing on the upper edges of the latches 36.

In associating the frame 15 with the lift yoke, the locks 35L are released with respect to the elements 36. The frame 15 and elements 36 are manipulated to enable the hook ends 36A of the latches 36 to embrace the upper edge of the horizontal cross plate 37 that is a part of the lift yoke. That is, the inner edges of the latch extensions 36A, as viewed in FIG. 5, are disposed in flush contact with the rear side of the vertically oriented cross plate 57. The openings 35A are brought into registry with the openings in the upright end plates 16A of the lift yoke that are adapted to support the ends of the lift bar 15B, whereafter the latter is passed through the registered openings to thereby securely join the frame 15 to the lift yoke to enable the frame 15 to be raised and lowered therewith. The locks 35L are efi'ectively engaged with the upper edges of the latches 36 to secure the latter in effective position with respect to the plate 37 of the lift yoke.

As noted above, the bail 11B is arranged pivotally at the upper end of the frame 15, for purposes to be explained in detail hereinafter. It first may be noted that the bail 18 can be constructed in different ways to afford a strap to embrace the upper ends of the rolls R to prevent tipping of the latter as hereinafter described. Specifically, for purposes of disclosure, the bail in the present instance is constructed from pipe sections to include a rear cross arm 111A, FIG. 8, and a U-shaped loop portion 141B having the ends thereof connected to the cross arm 10A. Such connections are preferably afforded by saddling the ends of the loop NE on the cross arm 16A and providing weldments therebetween.

The cross arm 10A is pivotally supported for limited tilting movement at the upper ends of the angles 38 and 31. To this end, a pair of support brackets 41} for the cross arm 10A are secured to the uppermost ends of the uprights 3t? and 31. The supports 4 are of one-piece construction and include semicircular bearing elements 403 in which the arm MA is supported, and flanges 41A adapted to be bolted to the forward faces of the frame uprights 3t? and 31.

The bearings 49B which present the supports for the cross arm 113A of the bail 19 are, as best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, formed with shoulder 43 adapted to be engaged by pins 44 that are spaced from one another on the cross arm 10A by the distance that separates the shoulders 43 on the respective brackets 40. The shoulders 4,3 are located in horizontal planes to serve as stops for limiting counterclockwise movement of the bail 10 as viewed in FIG. 5. However, it will be recognized that the bail 10, as viewed in FIG. 5, is free to pivot upwardly in a clockwise fashion, to be disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame 15. This is important to prevent accidential tipping of the rolls R in the event the loop It) does not capture the rolls R collectively because of inept maneuvering, or in the event the rolls R are not neatly enough arranged.

In describing the cooperation between the lift plate 11 and the bail 10, it should first be recalled that the mast or guide frame 20 of the lift truck is one that can be tilted rearwardly to a limited extent from the position illustrated in FIG. 1. When maneuvering the lift truck relative to the upright rolls arranged for transportation, the mast 20 is substantially in the upright position illus trated in FIG. 1. The lift yoke 16 in the meantime has been elevated to a position where the band or strap 1t) normally substantially in a horizontal plane, is located in a halo position above the upper ends of the aligned upright rolls R.

Referring to FIG. 2, the frame 15 is now dropped with the lift yoke from the position illustrated in FIG. 1 to the position illustrated in FIG. 2. In this state, the band 113 embraces the upper ends of the rolls R. The lift plate 11 is at floor level but is spaced rearward from the lower ends of the rolls R. It may now be observed parenthetically that if the rolls R are not arranged for neat embracing by the loop 10, or if the truck has not been maneuvered correctly, such that the bail 1i strikes, rather than embraces the upper ends of the rolls R, then the bail 19 will simply pivot upwardly to an ineffective position. This assures that one or more of the rolls R will not be knocked over.

Assuming now that the rolls R have been captured by the bail 10, the lift truck LT is moved forwardly in the direction of the rolls R, and such movement is accompanied by forward movement of the frame 15 causing forward tilting of the rolls R by virtue of the bail 10 engaged thereabout. As a consequence, the lower end portions of the rolls R that are adjacent the lift truck LT are tipped forward enabling the plate 11 to be toed thereunder,

as shown in FIG. 3, by accordingly moving the truck LT forwardly.

Following maneuvering of the lift plate 11 under the lower ends of the rolls R, the mast 20 on the lift truck is then tipped rearwardly to the position shown in FIG. 4. Again the bail 10 is eflfective on the rolls R to tip the same rearward, bringing the full weight of the rolls R onto the lift plate 11, which can then be elevated by the lift yoke 16 incidental to transporting the rolls R collectively to the desired disposal area.

In depositing the rolls R, the reverse of the movements of the truck, the plate 11 and the bail 10, above described, are used. In other words, the lift plate 11 is unloaded in a manner obvious from what has been described above.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the present invention is characterized by a frame or equivalent support easily attached to the lift element of a lift truck or the like. The support has a bail or strap at one end adapted to embrace the upper ends of a collected group of upright carpet rolls or the like and is provided at the lower end with a lift plate adapted to support the lower ends of the upright rolls of material after the bail has been related thereto. Then, by tipping the rolls rearward, by forces emanating from the lift truck, the rolls are stably supported on the lift plate and in condition to be elevated by the lift element of the lift truck incidental to moving the rolls or similar upright cylindrical bodies to the desired area of disposal.

Hence, while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for lifting and transporting collectively a plurality of contiguously arranged upright cylinder bodies, comprising: a rigid frame adapted to be secured to the lift yoke of a lift truck to be raised and lowered therewith, a looplike bail means with a rear portion pivotally mounted on the upper portion of said frame and adapted to collectively embrace the upper peripheral surfaces of said arranged cylindrical bodies while being free of the top surfaces thereof, said bail means being freely pivoted on said frame to swing upwardly relative to said frame when brought into contact with the top surfaces of said cylindrical bodies, a lift plate secured to the lower portion of said frame in a fixed and spaced relationship to said loop-like bail means, said rear portion of said looplike bail means adapted to engage and tilt forwardly said cylinder bodies when said loop-like bail means is embracing said bodies, a forward portion on said bail means for holding said cylinder bodies from further tilting while said lift plate is moved under the lower rearward ends of the embraced bodies, the pivotal mounting of said bail means and said lift plate means having a fixed spacial relationship therebetween during the lifting and transporting of said cylinder bodies.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including stop means on said bail means and said frame to limit the rotation of said bail means downwardly into a generally horizontal position, said bail means being free to pivot upwardly to substantially parallel with said frame when said bail means strikes the top of said cylinder bodies thereby preventing tipping of the rolls during downward movement of said frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Neuman 214-750 Coupland et a1. 214-654 Graham 211104 Weiss 214-654 Dickson 214-654 Hutten et al. 211- Jackson 214-147 Gardner et a1. 214-654 Tatum 214-654 Schmidgall 214-652 Morrell 214-654 Hobson 214-651 Avery 214-654 Great Britain.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING COLLECTIVELY A PLURALITY OF CONTIGUOUSLY ARRANGED UPRIGHT CYLINDER BODIES, COMPRISING: A RIGID FRAME ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE LIFT YOKE OF A LIFT TRUCK TO BE RAISED AND LOWERED THEREWITH, A LOOPLIKE BAIL MEANS WITH A REAR PORTION PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED TO COLLECTIVELY EMBRACE THE UPPER PERIPHERAL SURFACES OF SAID ARRANGED CYLINDRICAL BODIES WHILE BEING FREE OF THE TOP SURFACES THEREOF, SAID BAIL MEANS BEING FREELY PIVOTED ON SAID FRAME TO SWING UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME WHEN BROUGHT INTO CONTACT WITH THE TOP SURFACES OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODIES, A LIFT PLATE SECURED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID FRAME IN A FIXED AND SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO SAID LOOP-LIKE BAIL MEANS, SAID REAR PORTION OF SAID LOOPLIKE BAIL MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AND TILT FORWARDLY SAID CYLINDER BODIES WHEN SAID LOOP-LIKE BAIL MEANS IS EMBRACING SAID BODIES, A FORWARD PORTION ON SAID BAIL MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID CYLINDER BODIES FROM FURTHER TILTING WHILE SAID LIFT PLATE IS MOVED UNDER THE LOWER REARWARD ENDS OF THE EMBRACED BODIES, THE PIVOTAL MOUNTING OF SAID BAIL MEANS AND SAID LIFT PLATE MEANS HVING A FIXED SPACIAL RELATIONSHIP THEREBETWEEN DURING THE LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING OF SAID CYLINDER BODIES. 